Continuing with our introductions to our new interns, today it’s Kate’s turn to tell us about herself and what her message is to business. Meet Kate…

Hi, I’m Kate, I’m 22 years old and I have just finished studying my undergraduate degree in Psychology at Loughborough University.

Throughout my undergraduate study in psychology, I particularly enjoyed studying modules that had business elements to them, such as Health Communication and Organisational psychology. I was therefore really keen to further my knowledge in business and consequently decided to apply for a master’s in international business. My ambition following the completion of my postgraduate study is to secure a graduate scheme in a medium to a large organisation which, ideally, would allow me to gain a variety of experience across a range of different business roles. I hope this will give me a better idea of what role I would like to pursue (and be best suited to) in the future. Currently, I think I would enjoy working in marketing or human resources as these roles include aspects of both psychology and business. 

The Access Generation internship caught my eye as it is a social enterprise. I believe the initiative is very important as it has the potential to make a real difference to the workplace and young people’s opportunities. Therefore, I would feel a great sense of achievement being involved in something so worthwhile. Additionally, I am really interested in marketing and felt like this internship would be the perfect opportunity for me to gain some experience in this area. Another thing I love about the company is that they value personal attributes over experience; something that I can personally relate to. Over my sporting career, the full-time commitment to training has limited my opportunities for work. Nevertheless, the personal attributes I have developed through sport, such as conscientiousness and good time management, are transferrable to the workplace.

One thing I’m particularly excited about is conducting employer interviews. Having previously lacked confidence during interviews, I feel like this will be a really good opportunity for me to develop my interview skills and confidence in this area. I’m also really excited to be involved with the Hidden Talent campaign as this is something that I feel really strongly about. I would love to assist companies in making their application processes more inclusive to those with disabilities.

During this 8-week internship, I hope to develop my presentation, research and communication skills. I also hope that the employer assessment research I undertake will help companies to see the changes they can make to improve their job application process for young people.

Having dyslexia, I have found various past application processes very daunting as reasonable adjustments are often not made; thus, I think it’s extremely important that companies are made aware of what they can do to improve their application processes; making them more accessible and inclusive. Additionally, I want to tell employers to value personal attributes just as much as experience. Some people, for whatever reason, may have had fewer opportunities to gain experience but this doesn’t mean they are any less capable of succeeding in a role than those with more experience. 

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Did you know…?

Universities typically have an employability team who work to match students with employment opportunities including internships. An internship is often a short paid work experience and a chance for the student and employer to ‘try before they buy’. Internships are often part or fully funded.

Afra has joined us via Loughborough University’s Talent Match Programme which is part-funded by Santander. For more information, visit their website https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/careers/employers/sme/lborotalentmatch/